Second Story Gamer

A problem plaguing many Xbox 360 gamers since the launch of the product, the Red Ring of Death, has never been given an exact explanation from Microsoft.  We know from non-Microsoft affiliated tech gurus that the RROD occurs when the graphics chip overheats but we’ve never been given a great explanation from Microsoft.  They’ve just told us it’s ” a Microsoft design issue”.  But what caused the design issue?

Well, a report on EETimes may give us a bit more information on the matter.  In the article, Gartner Research analyst Bryan Lewis said that “Microsoft wanted to avoid an ASIC vendor”.  ASIC vendors develop chips for specific applications (get more info here), but Microsoft wanted to save money, so they opted to make the graphics chips themselves. The decision was designed to save the company tens of millions of dollars up front, but it was a stupid move because it ended up costing them $1 billion in repairs.

The article also states that Microsoft has since redesigned the chip with an unnamed ASIC vendor, thought to be ATI.  That’s one thing that makes me question this source.  If the chip has been redesigned, why are we still getting so many Red Ring of Death problems?  Maybe there are just too many Xbox 360’s on the market with the old chip design.

But if this is the truth, expect the internet to light up soon in cries of “cheap bastards”.  And, for once, I’m in total agreement.  With pockets as deep as the Marina Trench, why did Microsoft have to cut corners to save a few million dollars, which is pocket change to them?  And it ended up costing them much, much more than that.  Not only did they have to pay over $1 billion in Red Ring of Death repairs, but their reputation with some fans was also destroyed irrepairably.  Tsk, tsk.